Little help with REL subwoofers, please?
I'm not especially knowledgeable about subwoofers and I'd appreciate some advice. I've got a pair of Magnepan 1.7i placed in a small (long, rectangular) room. I had a hefty JL sub that shook the house but that I could never fully integrate. On a whim, I switched it out for a pair of the diminutive REL Tzero subs and the sound is vastly better. On some music, though, such as classical organ, I miss the growl and thunder. I don't feel like I need to boost the "upper bass" and I definitely don't want to muddy things up; it's really the deep rumble that I occasionally want.
If it helps, I'm thinking of a piece of music like Max Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight," which about halfway through delivers a broad, deep sweep of musical sound that I want to *feel.*
I'm mostly pleased with the setup and I don't want to reinvent my room's wheel or break the bank. And I'd like to stay with at least two subs and likely stay with REL. So I'm thinking I might: 1) add a T/9X or maybe a T/7X and perhaps keep the crossover low; or 2) swap out the Tzeros and replace them with a pair of T/7Xs. For now, a pair of T/9Xs is a budgetary stretch that I'd like to avoid (and it is a small room).
Would it be weird having two Tzeros combined with the much bigger T/9X? Would the T/7X produce that deep, enveloping bass? I'm not particularly good at reading specs but -6dB at 30Hz doesn't sound especially deep to me. (The JL was -3dB at 23Hz.) Or am I misunderstanding how bass works and would a T/7X go plenty deep in a small room?
Thanks and Happy New Year!
@northman I hope you were able to return that $3K crossover for the $2K subwoofer. For about the same outlay the F110 would have been the way to go. Equalization is what would have allowed you to easily enjoy that Organ pedal and the Cathedral regardless of main speakers or your room size. At -6dB no, their not even remotely in the same league. At the bottom of it all one's satisfaction is paramount. All the best.
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I always sat in the Phil Zone. Getting Phil at home will require two 15" or four 12" drivers. A smaller sub setup will get that low, but at realistic levels there will be a lot of distortion. Great bass below 40 Hz at realistic levels levels with low distortion requires a lot more than the industry would have you believe. Another problem is most subwoofer enclosures are musical instruments, they shake and resonate. Play a sub at Phil levels and put your hand on it. What you are feeling is distortion. |
@mijostyn , You "sat"? Haha. My most memorable bass experience ever was in the Phil Zone. Boston Garden. I felt like my throat was closing off, I could barely breathe. My friend turned to me with a look of wonder and small alarm. Gone are the days (though perhaps they can be reproduced in my small garret of a room?).
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you are on the right track... i would say get a pair to t7’s and be done (in your smallish room you don't need 4 subs, two mismatched)... re-sell the tzero’s (they just don’t go deep enough to do the 1.7i’s justice, as you yourself have pointed out) don’t ignore older i models t7i t9i from rel, they are excellent and can save $$ if you find them well cared for on the used market |
